Honeysuckle Hearsay and Start of Studying

Salutations,

I have not posted about Wightwick Manor in a while and as I had embarked on volunteering in a new room recently, I thought it was about time to update you. I was in one of the five beautifully attired guest bedrooms of the house- the Honeysuckle Room.

http://www.nationaltrustimages.org.uk/image/20861

This is a slightly outdated picture, the bed still resides within the room, but there is a different configuration, for example the room now incorporates a luxurious nineteenth century ottoman with Morris tulip pattern. If you want to see what the room looks like now I urge you to visit! Wightwick also has a new cafe with delicious meals and the best cakes, if you need another reason, apart from the awe inspiring house to entice you! The bed hanging are unfortunately difficult to observe in this photograph, but they are an elaborate and intricate embroidered design by May Morris, I was lucky enough to be able to look at them up close and it amazes me, the time and effort to make them, such a labour of love. What this example demonstrates is the quality of every fixture and fitting within this house, from the William Morris Sussex chairs, the Pre-Raphaelite paintings, the  hand-knotted Morris carpet, De Morgan tiles and finally the quotations that pervade most rooms, from Browning to Tennyson.,the house really is a Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art. Unfortunately Morris never visited the house but I'm sure he would be ecstatic that this place exists as a testament to the enduring appeal of his designs.

Of course I cannot post about Wightwick Manor without mentioning a striking picture that resides in this room, (I am a History of Art student!)  Evelyn De Morgan's, pastel drawing, Clytie. Clytie is a figure from Greek myth, described in Ovid's Metamorphosis, a nymph who fell in love with the sun-god Helios. In one version, Helios initially loves Clytie but forsakes her for Leucothoe. An angry and spurned Clytie seeks her revenge by visiting Leucothoe's father Orchamus and tells him her daughter has been tainted. Due to the shame the father feels she has brought on her family, he has his daughter buried alive in the earth. Clytie's actions, instead of winning back Helios's affections, as she wanted, caused him to despise her. She stood without food or drink on earth for nine days, turning her face in Helios's direction as the sun travelled across the sky every day, mourning his departure. After the ninth day, she became rooted to the spot and morphed into a plant, sometimes the plant is referred to is a sunflower, but there are varying descriptions. Ovid states: 

         'From that day she wasted away, for she was quite mad with love. She had no use for the company of nymphs, but sat upon the bare ground, night and day, under the open sky, her head uncovered, and her hair all disarrayed. For nine days she tasted neither food nor drink, but fed her hunger only on dew and tears. She never stirred from the ground: all she did was to gaze on the face of the sun god as he journeyed on, and turn her own face to follow him. Her limbs, they say, became rooted to the earth, and a wan pallor spread over part of her complexion, as she changed into a bloodless plant.... Though held fast by its root, this flower still turns to the sun, and although Clytie's form is altered, her love remains.'

(I paraphrased the details of the myth from Carrying the Torch by Steven Payne.)

I love the unconscious beauty of this image, the sunflowers engulfing her figure, supporting or being supported by her, the tragedy of a thwarted love. Clytie wishes to bathe in the warmth and glow of her beloved, gaining sustenance from him. The added detail of her cascading hair, the same colour as the petals of the sunflower, the tip of which just brushes the petal of a sunflower, suggests her kinship with the sunflowers and her subsequent transformation. Whilst, her body is basking in the rays of the sun she shields her face, as if to stifle her grief and tears, not being able to fully embrace his light in her human form. Poor woman, at least she had his love for a while, my love of Buster Keaton or Anton Walbrook remains unrequited! Clytie shows real dedication to her love, I can't imagine many girls would metamorphose into a plant just to bask in the rays of their beloved forever more!

Both images are copyright of the National Trust

http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1288980

 Volunteering in the bedrooms is always a treat, as it feels more intimate to be able to spend long periods of time within these interiors, as if one was for example invited to stay in the room as a distinguished guest of the Mander Family, or more likely in my case, as a servant cleaning out the chamber pots!  Nevertheless, I always fantasise about being invited to the house for a weekend party, and of course this would be the guest bedroom I would get to stay in. I dream of draping myself over the ottoman, writing letters about the hi-jinks at the house, reading novels, and getting dressed up in an Edwardian or flapper dress for an elaborate and lively dinner party.

Here's my volunteering outfit, not quite the Edwardian or flapper dress I dream about owning but still a lovely bright colorful forties spotted dress, (I'm dotty for spots at the moment!) with amazing pockets that I could fit a lot of sweets in! The dress is actually too big so until I can get it taken in I have a large belt that helps to define my waist. I'm also wearing a red Laura Ashley Cardigan, they never fail to provide colourful vintage inspired knitwear. I'm wearing my red glass beaded necklace, I discussed in a previous post, and also my new shoes, Clark's Frothy Soda black leather shoes. I can't rave about these enough, they are very comfortable soft leather. I have had problems with my feet but these are great and really cushion my feet, they also give a nod to the twenties, which of course makes me love them more! 

As if you can't tell from these pictures, I'm still trying to improve my photography skills!

 I decided as I hadn't updated in quite a while to spoil you with two outfits in one post! I am once again embarking on another year of studies, I have just begun a Masters in the History of Art, so I thought it would be a good idea to show you a typical outfit I wear to university, well I don't always have time for the lipstick! The skirt is part of a 1940's suit, I love the cranberry colour and it goes very nicely with my blue cardigan, which I picked up from a local charity shop for £2 and then changed the buttons, to these fake pearls. I'm once again wearing my favourite pair of shoes my Melissa shoes designed by Vivienne Westwood. That very large bag I am carrying contains only a small number of the books I have been using recently for my research.

Also being England of course I had to wear a thick coat at the beginning of October  The coat was from Reiss a few years ago, I got it in the sale half price, a real bargain. The style of it and the geometric monochrome pattern, hints at the art deco, and the material is heavy and soft, a real sign of quality.

Of course it decided to rain the day I chose to wear lipstick, so this is me unsuccessfully trying to protect my hair and make up, I did realise that my hands are maybe not the best protection from the rain, and so went searching for my 1940's umbrella.

Yours still soggy,

Evalily Harlow xxx

Watch!

Dear fellow vintage fanciers,

I must confess, I am not a massive fan of television, apart from Poirot, Sherlock and Downton Abbey of course, but I have recently found a few programmes with: well written and engaging stories, exquisite vintage clothing, amazing period sets, and so wanted to share them with you and implore you to watch!

First, Parade's End, which of course I began to watch due to Benedict Cumberbatch, tells the story of  Christopher Tietjens, a government statistician, who ends up engulfed by the second world war, fighting for his principles. Christopher's predominant character trait is his strict moral code which endears and exasperates the audience and hinders his ability to follow his true feelings .At one point when explaining his fidelity to his promiscuous wife remarks: 'There used to be among families...a position, a certain...call it 'parade'.' Christopher is married to a flighty, witty and cruel woman, Sylvia, played by the incomparable Rebecca Hall, who one can not help but laugh with, cry with, be infuriated by and cause one to feel pain for her, in equal measure.  In contention with the elegant, and quite ridiculous Edwardian wife, Sylvia is the modern intelligent, hard working suffragette Valentine Wannop, who bursts into Christopher's life, in the unlikely setting of a sedate golf course, loudly protesting for women's rights. One can not help but continuously compare the two female protagonists. Sylvia, in comparison, meets Christopher on a train, enticing him with her allure, leading to a  rather raunchy scene in said carriage.  Valentine instead on their first encounter, excites Christopher through her passion for the equality of women; a noble cause she is rallying to. In fact  the discussion of women's rights, the suffragette infusions, is a very welcome addition to the plot, something which is frequently left out in period pieces situated in this epoch.

Even the purely visual differences of the female characters, in their clothing, marks them out as two very different characters. Sylvia presents herself in rich colours, and expensive heavy fabric forms the Edwardian ornate and cumbersome dresses. By comparison,Valentine is attired in streamlined, still beautiful but much more practical, new, lightweight clothing that does not intend to be fawned over or cause one to be conscious of its presence. She embraces the modern age into which Sylvia does not bother to learn anything about.

 Furthermore one can't not mention one of my favorite characters: General Campion (Roger Allam), his witty turn of phrase and bafflement and bemusement directed at Christopher and his dislike and inability to curtail Sylvia, added a certain hint of Dad's Army to the programme, which was warmly appreciated. The series was adapted by Tom Stoppard from a series of books by Ford Maddox Ford, and I definitely intend to  read the series to understand more about the characters and to relive the narrative.

 All images of Parade's End are copyright of the BBC.

Adelaide Clemens as Valentine Wannop.

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Finally, I couldn't fail but to mention, being an art historian, the inclusion of the scene of the slashing of the canvas, which does not appear in the novel. I would argue that the action is not only a metaphor for the fracturing of society that the war brings, or the slashing through the old into a new age but that the action itself also, on a more personal level in relation to the plot, foreshadows the lack of thought, wanton destruction caused by Sylvia in opposition to Valentine, who is confronted with the action, a reasoned intelligent logical person, passionate in her rallying against patriarchal society but not wishing or reveling in destruction, which Sylvia, with her sharp tongue and mischievous appears to both instigate and practice  This action that firmly cements the compatibility of  Christopher, who are both pained by destruction, whether that be the wanton destruction of art or the destruction of lives and his ideals in the war. Sylvia acts without thinking of the consequence of her actions or the wanton destruction she causes.  

The scene was probably inserted into the narrative not only due to its imagery, its visual representation of deeper emotions but, interestingly, actually  occurred at the National Gallery in London on March 10, 1914, and was therefore contemporary to the setting of the book. Mary Richardson, a suffragette, entered the gallery and slashed Velasquez's Rokeby Venus, the pinnacle of the flawless female nude, motivated by her anger at the treatment of Mrs Pankhurst. For further information regarding this event, Richardson's motivations and the significance of the painting and therefore the reasons for its suggested destruction, I would direct you to Lynda Nead's 'The Female Nude: Art, Obscenity and Sexuality' specifically the chapter entitled 'The Damaged Venus', it's a book I referred to often during my History of Art degree and would recommend it to anyone interested in the History of Art and especially the depiction of  the female figure in the canon of Art.

How amazing is this outfit, and how envious of it I am! A claret velvet belted jacket, red art deco tassel necklace with matching gloves and a stunning hat, all of which I'm adding to my wish list. I do own a velvet jacket but it lacks the beauty that one can observe in this garment.

Secondly, for my other recommendation, we must go forward in time to 1952, to a three part drama, The Bletchley Circle. The premise is: a group of seemingly ordinary women living rather mundane lives in post war rationing Britain are hiding a less ordinary past. They suppress their former heroism. They were code breakers during the second world war who deciphered German military messages, who decide due to a recent spate of murders, to utilise their expertise, of breaking patterns to identify a serial killer targeting young women on trains. Whilst the characters are fictional, Bletchley Park was the home of the code breakers during the second world war.It is believed that the top secret code breaking that occurred at the site helped shorten the war by as much as two years.  For more information regarding Bletchley Park and the events that occurred here and if any one wishes to visit, go to this website- http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/. It's an amazing part of our history, both as a nation and especially as women, so I was very glad that the crucial work of these women is being highlighted. In fact many of the women involved in secret activity during the war were sworn to secrecy and to this day have never fully explained the important part they played in saving lives.

The programme, shares with Parade's End female agency but in comparison to Valentine who is campaigning for Women's rights, these women have shown their intelligence and their crucial importance in a war situation but have  returned to their pre-war lives, seemingly drowned in the dreary domestic situations they find themselves in, especially in the character of Susan, a housewife, left unfulfilled and  intellectually under nourished by her duties as a housewife.

I love murder mysteries and period dramas and these combine the two in a way that previously only Poirot could placate my hunger. As with Parade's End, the costumes are so important because they inform the characters.The women are all very well written with unique and interesting characters and have very different lives which is reflected through their clothing. Susan played by Anna Maxwell Martin and Julie Graham as Jean, the clothing reflects and informs the characters personalities, enhancing our knowledge of the characters  and representing a variety of women and personalities, for example Jean wears more simple silhouette dark colours, complimenting her no nonsense, abrupt attitude.

 All pictures of The Bletchley Circle are copyright of ITV.

Millie's wardrobe is my favourite, it affirms her adventurous nature and showcases the influence her travels,  had upon her fashion choices.

Rachael Stirling as Millie.

Sophie Rundle as Lucy.

Watching the second episode last week I found myself gasping, shouting, and crying, as you can tell I have become greatly invested in the series and the characters, especially Lucy, a truly brave woman with an incredible memory. She appears to be the sweetest and most innocent character, some one who you can't help but become protective of! She has a shy temperament and due to her bravery endures a lot in the second episode ( I'm trying not to give away the plot!).

Yours staring at the screen avidly whilst watching a recording of the last Bletchley episode,

Evalily Harlow xxx